The Eight Elements Sword
by The Laughing Man
Summary: An advisor saw through Wang Yun's plan. Dong Zhuo is now Emperor of the Middle Kingdom, and only Wu and a few good men(and women) are left to oppose him. A warrior arrives on the scene... OC story, with romance elements. R&R pls!
1. Everything Old is New Again

**_Prologue_**

****

_A sword never jams, never has to be reloaded, is always ready. It's worst shortcoming is that it takes great skill and patient, loving practice to gain that skill; it can't be taught to raw recruits in weeks, nor even months._

-Robert A Heinlein

Zheng De Zhao stared blearily at the stack of reports on his desk. "Haven't I filled out these forms in triplicate already?"

"Uhm, sorry Sir," his aide Boris Kalashnikov said apologetically, "This is a different stack. Congress and the oversight committee have been complaining about excessive military expenditure for months now, so we've got to jump through more hoops to get the same amount of supplies we'd been getting."

"I know, I know," De Zhao continued to grumble as he started scribbling and signing off on the first piece of paper he grabbed off the stack. "Wish we had the same leeway like back during the height of the interstellar war."

"Well, you know what they say. Success breeds complacency."

"And complacency breeds failure. Failure breeds desperation, and desperation breeds success," De Zhao rolled his eyes. "Have we anything other to do?"

"Well, there's a physical drill scheduled for today…"

De Zhao frowned, "I'm skipping it."

"Why sir?" Boris stooped down to look better at his boss's face. "Not feeling too well nowadays, eh? Those eye bags from not sleeping the whole night?"

De Zhao scowled, and while his scowl would normally send most junior officers running for their lives, Boris was made of sterner stuff. Besides, Boris had earned the right in a dozen hard fought campaigns.

"Sir, you can't keep going on like this. I know this great place for acupuncture that can cure insomnia…"

"Not interested." Came the brusque reply.

Boris failed to keep check on his tongue for once, and he spoke without thinking, "Sir, I know it's been hard for you since Yu Lin died…"

Boris stopped, knowing that he had made a big mistake. The air in the room had chilled to below absolute zero mere microseconds after he had uttered the name. The look on De Zhao's face was full of regret, grief, and unrequited rage. His body trembled with emotion, and the pen he had been holding had broke under the force exerted by his clenched fingers.

"Boris," De Zhao said softly, "Get out of my office."

Boris nodded, inching away for a few steps before turning and running out of the office for all he was worth.

De Zhao buried his head in his hands, sobbing quietly. He took out a jade necklace from a pocket, as well as a small box containing a silver and gold ring, wondering why he had waited so long, too long.

It just seemed like yesterday that she died…

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**_Chapter One-Everything Old is New Again_**

_No toilet paper, shower facilities, soap, or any of the basic amenities of modern life. Ah, the joys of living in ancient __China__!_

_Thanks a lot, assholes!_

-Zheng De Zhao

"Well, nice to see you again, Zheng _Jiang Jun_." _Shang Jiang Jun(Upper General)_ Talon Zahn, and Zheng De Zhao's superior officer, told him. "I'll get straight to the point. SLDF High Command has got a 'request' mission they want to tap you for, and I see no reason to decline. It is an honor for our state."

De Zhao stood stiffly at attention, wondering at the 'request' which had singled him out specifically when there were probably dozens of other officers who could probably do the job just as well, if not better.

He voiced his doubts, "Sir, there must be many other men more suitable…"

"Not for this task, they aren't." Talon replied immediately. "Oh, to be sure, I have to be honest and say that the shortlist was only 5 names long, and the other 4 are all unavailable."

Understanding dawned on De Zhao. _Five names? That could only mean…_

"Yes," Zahn said earnestly. "You, Jian Xing, Nie Feng, Han Korsakov, and Tao Zhe. Who're all missing or sent on their own missions and are currently incognito. The candidate must be well-versed in Chinese, some form of it at least, have a working knowledge of Chinese customs," Talon paused, then added, "And must be somebody capable of killing a demon."

Zheng resisted the urge to gulp hard. Killing demons was often a fools' errand, especially the high ranking demons. "Sounds tough."

"It _is_ tough, or you wouldn't be asked to do it. This assignment is also a NWB."

De Zhao blinked. _NWB-No Way Back. At least, none that they know of. A one way ticket to hell. Sounds like they're sending me to my death. Again. Unfortunately._

He chose his next words carefully. "I thought we're through suicide missions?"

"This isn't a suicide mission, but you'll probably be stuck for some time if you go. Retrieval just isn't a priority right now."

"Where, when, what?"

Talon Zahn leaned back in his seat languidly, "It's all in the mission dossier, but there's no harm in telling you now. 'Where' is a dirthole parallel Earth, 'when' is currently at about 200 AD. 'What' is a demon son-of-a-gun messing up the normal course of history as it had happened on most worlds and trying to enforce a gradual worldwide takeover. Oh, before you complain about the importance of a single world, there's a strong reason why we don't want the Dark to have it."

De Zhao arched an eyebrow.

"The _Fu Yi Jian_ is on that world."

That made De Zhao blink. The _Fu Yi Jian_, or _Fu Yi_ sword, was a spirit weapon of legend, said to confer control over the 8 elements onto the person who masters it. Needless to say, it was extremely powerful, and such a weapon in the hands of a demon was the stuff strategists' nightmares were made of.

"Uh huh," Zahn spoke to De Zhao's unsaid concern, "So you've to get it before the demons do, and restore peace and prosperity, yadda, yadda, yadda, to the land as well."

That made De Zhao blink again. "Huh?"

"Huh what huh?" Zahn mocked him, "It's the Three Kingdoms Period. Messy, lots of killing? Ring a bell?"

"Crap."

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_Come on, let's be honest. It's not as if you've anything left for you here. No family, a few close friends, that's all. _Zahn's final words in the interview. _I know your girlfriend died, and you've yet to get over her. Think of it as the chance for a fresh start. A place to begin all over again, away from your own regrets, your own past._

After all that, the offer of a choice to opt out was a joke, given with no real sincerity behind it.

_The __Sian__ Commonality defenses?_ He had asked. It was, had been, his responsibility. The protection of more than 50 worlds, and no easy task.

_Don't worry, we've good people to take over._ Zahn had assured him._ This is something only you can do, De Zhao, so don't let us down._

"Okay, you set?" The burly scientist/mage in charge of the entire procedure stared at him. "This is going to be very bumpy, since we haven't exactly been able to fine-tune the process. God alone knows what you'll go through as you pass through the gate."

_They got the info through captured enemy transmissions,_ De Zhao remembered from the mission dossier intelligence section. _But the locale was so far away in the whole bloody universe that the only realistic way to get there was by shadow gating. Untested, mostly, untried, very, and utterly unreliable._

_I'll be lucky if I end up there with just two limbs. But what the hey? Who dares, wins. Now who said that, hmmm? The SAS? Nah, who cares?_

He took one last look at himself. He was dressed in non-descript peasant clothes that were lifted off a period drama set, some swordfighting serial based on the Three Kingdoms that was, irony of ironies, currently being shown on the holovids. There wasn't much else he had on him. They had strict guidelines to prevent him from bringing along anything which smacked of higher technology, like guns or communication devices. The only high tech items he had on him were a small supply of protein bars for nutrition, and a satchel filled full of sleeping pills he had begged to bring along for his insomnia. Even the 'water canteen' he had brought along was made from the treated skin of some animal.

No weapon hung at his sides. He had refused a sword, thinking that getting a weapon over at his destination might be a better idea. In any case, he surmised that appearing with a weapon at certain places would be a serious red flag, without knowing the exact condition and situation. Better to pass off as a lowly peasant first. Being ordinary is bliss.

The final two items he carried with him were in a small pouch hanging from his belt, carrying the jade necklace and the ring he had intended for Yu Lin. They were his tokens of love for her, and a reminder of his beloved, lost forever to him by the veil of death.

De Zhao forced himself away from the path of his memories, focusing on the now and immediate present. He saw the techs give him a thumbs up, then he stepped up to the dais, where a black void had appeared from mid air.

"Any time you want sir." The scientist reported.

Zheng stared into the black void, as though his keen eyesight could pierce through the darkness. He tried to quell the uneasiness, the fear, rolling about in his stomach. _My fate, my destiny, _he realized. He took one last, long look around him, marveling at the wonders of industrial and scientific civilization and what he was leaving behind, thirty years of memories and sorrows. Then he steeled his resolve. Talon Zahn was right. There was nothing left for him here. The only way for him now was forward, into the blackness.

Zheng De Zhao took a deep breath, and stepped into the void.

Traveling through a Shadow Gate was like having your insides turned out a thousand times, roasted, baked, then sent back in, while the outside that was now, well, outside got its turn. And that was just on the physical sensation side. Mentally, it was like reliving all the nightmares you've ever had all over again in the span of a few short minutes, but to all extents and purposes an eternity.

Zheng De Zhao, former general and soldier, finally tumbled through the gate opening into the world of the Middle Kingdom, smack in the midst of a time known for endless war and conflict, lying to rest on a grassy patch. Unconscious, very much out of it, and for one of the few times in his life since becoming a soldier, sleeping soundly.

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_203 AD, Middle Kingdom,_

_Dong Empire_

"Pretty girl, bathing by the shore!" Somebody sang, badly off key. The harsh tunes stirred Zheng, and he groaned, rousing himself up from his fetal position as he regained his senses.

"Her clothes on the banks, belonging to a whore!" Zheng groaned. Yup, he could make out the words all right, and the dialect wasn't too far different from the ones he knew. He'd have to improvise a bit here and there, but no big deal. Upon hearing the tune, he wished he hadn't. It was crude, frivolous, and utterly lacking in taste.

He tested each of his limbs, then his fingers, checking to see if he had emerged unscathed, and was more than a bit surprised to realize that he had, indeed, come through without any real problem.

De Zhao took a few tentative steps, as though the fact that he was on a different world had not sunk in yet. He sighed, then shook his head vigorously to get his thoughts back in order.

_First thing, find out the local situation. Gather intel. Lay low. Then I start thinking about taking action. Step by step, De Zhao, step by step._

He started walking briskly, to catch up with the man who was singing dreadfully off-key.

It was a shabbily dressed merchant, driving a two-horse wagon with goods piled up in the wagon he was on. Zheng quickened his pace and came up to the merchant.

"Greetings, fellow traveller!" Zheng offered the merchant with a sincere smile.

The merchant turned towards him, and smiled back, "Well, hello! Where're you headed?"

Zheng shook his head, "Nowhere in particular, just going where my feet lead me."

The merchant looked him over, "You look like a strong lad. What's your name?"

"Surname is Zheng, given name is De Zhao."

"Surname's Kuo, given name is Fan, style is She Jing. Nice to meet you." Kuo seemed like an honest fellow, easygoing and amiable. Zheng and Kuo chatted as they traveled on the road, and Zheng took the opportunity to note down recent events.

Kuo was talking, "Ahhh… Liu Bei, Cao Cao, Sun Jian. Great lords all. They would have split the lands between them, if not for Dong Zhuo, who foiled Wang Yun's plan to foster disagreement between him and Lu Bu."

"Is it?"

"You didn't know?"

"I was overseas for many months, and did not know of the events in the Han kingdom." That was a glib lie, and a cover story Zheng had worked to perfection. A more discerning person might question his current location in the Middle Kingdom and his apparent lack of knowledge, but a certain tone of speech often deflected all suspicion. Useful trick, really.

"Well, Dong Zhuo was advised by somebody who appeared out of nowhere of Wang Yun's plan, and he foiled it by holding Diao Chan hostage in order to force Lu Bu's loyalty to him. And then Lu Bu led his forces out and slaughtered the rebels." Kuo shook his head. "What a sad state of affairs."

"And then?"

"Liu Bei, Cao, Cao, and Sun Jian survived, and led their remaining forces away. Liu Bei, with Zhuge Liang's help, managed to set up in the western part of the kingdom. Cao Cao hung onto the northern territories he had taken, while Sun Jian consolidated in the south. But none of them ever forgot the single massive presence in the heart of the Middle Kingdom, Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu."

Kuo sighed, "It didn't last. And it couldn't have lasted. Dong simply waited for a ripe opportunity, after Chi Bi, not too long ago. He then struck at Cao Cao and Liu Bei with overwhelming forces, shattering their armies and killing many brave heroes. Wei and Shu are almost gone, and Wu is hanging on by the tips of their fingernails. With Lu Bu forced to help Dong Zhuo with Diao Chan hostage, Dong Zhuo is invincible, especially with the advisor who helped him with the plot in the first place."

"Advisor? I didn't know Dong Zhuo had good strategists."

"Oh, this strategist wasn't just smart, he's also a terror on the battlefield, I heard. Even his name is whacked out. Ruan Shi. It's rumored his style is Qin Sha."

_Ruan Shi, Chaos Era_. _Qin Sha, Wanton Slaughter._ Zheng translated to himself and winced inwardly. _Ouch. That has to be it. Can't have a bigger hint than that name. Now, how do I go about hunting him down…_

He asked Kuo, "So how would a merchant like you know so much?"

Kuo paled at the question, "Uhm, I just have contacts in higher places."

Zheng nodded easily, "Sure you do. Maybe you could find some work for me, eh?" _He's well fed, has a nice sword tucked behind his back. Good control over horses, has a military bearing. Spy? Deserter? Officer?_

A sudden sense of unease made Zheng narrow his eyes. A familiar sensation of danger, one he had learnt not to ignore. He suddenly threw up a hand, gesturing Kuo to halt.

"What's the matter, young friend?" Kuo had his sword suddenly out in front of him.

"Danger." Zheng tensed, then raised his voice, "Whoever you are, you might as well come out now!"

For a moment, there was nothing. Then when it happened, it was like a thunderstorm blasting out of nowhere.

Ten bandits ran out of their hiding spots in the tall grass on both sides of the road section they were on, dashing for the wagon. Another five ran down the road, while the last five closed off any possible retreat.

"Fuck!" Zheng countercharged one bandit, catching the man before he could swing his sword and tossing him over and down onto the ground. A swift turn of the neck ended the threat.

Two bandits slashed at him before he could pick up the dead bandit's sword, and Zheng backed away. Casting about for a weapon, he spied a tree branch on the ground. _Better than nothing._

He kicked the branch into his hands, and used it to engage a bandit. The bandit sneered, but was left wondering what happened when Zheng amazingly parried his sword with the flimsy branch, turning it round in some weird clockwise, then anti-clockwise motion, and somehow managed to flip it into his own hands after a tap on the bandit's wrist!

"Thank you!" With his new sword, De Zhao cut down the bandit with ease. He saw Kuo Fan holding off the other bandits, just barely holding on.

"Come on!" Zheng roared as he let himself into the battle rage, feeling the intoxicating sensation of adrenaline rushing through his body, but never so far that he lost his ability to think and plan.

He moved swifter than most eyes could follow, the blade in his hands almost alive as it cut down bandit after bandit. A kick here, a slash there. With pressure off him, Kuo was also able to fight back more effectively now.

Between the two of them, the twenty bandits were dead after just three minutes. They leaned over their swords, panting and watching warily for more. Zheng had accounted for 15 of the bandits, while Kuo had taken out 5.

"You okay?" Zheng asked a breathless Kuo, who was wheezing hard. Kuo nodded, unable to speak for the moment. _Jeez, just hours here and I'm already involved in a fight._

Zheng stooped down to inspect the body of a bandit. He tore down the sleeves, revealing a tattoo on the dead bandit's upper arm. It was a tattoo of a bird.

"Deserters from Wei…" Kuo finally spoke. Zheng turned and looked at him, seeing guilt, disgust, and regret all rolled into one.

"Is there something you want to tell me?" Zheng prodded. "I think there's more, isn't it?"

Kuo stiffened. "I can tell you, but not here. There's a town with another two hours travel. I'll tell you there."

"Okay, but hold on first." Zheng started searching the bodies of the dead bandits, taking whatever valuables he could find, as well as their swords, which he tossed onto Kuo's wagon.

"Waste not, want not." Zheng explained. "I need money, and we deserve something after making the road a bit safer for other travelers."

"That's a strange argument, but one I won't argue with. Except we better hurry before more bandits turn up."

Zheng didn't take long though, and soon they were hurrying on to Xi Tou.

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Selling the swords wasn't a problem. The town of Xi Tou needed regular and heavy tithes to pay off Dong Zhuo's pillaging armies, and Zheng had kindly sold the swords to the township for a quarter of their actual prices, allowing the town some reprieve from their heavy taxation.

They found themselves in an inn, sitting quietly in a corner while Kuo ordered the food. Zheng looked puzzled at the characters on the menu, trying to make sense of the words._ Damn, speech is one thing, but words are another! I can't read these words!_

"So, Zheng De Zhao, what is it you wanted to say?" Kuo asked when their food finally arrived. Half a chicken, a plate of simple vegetables, and some rice. Not the finest he ever had, but Zheng knew it was far from the worse. _The worst was several cockroaches and sewer water back on… bah, it's over now anyway._

Zheng cleared his throat, then said it out. "You are, or were, from the Wei army."

Kuo stopped his eating for the barest of moments, before nodding sadly. "Yes, I was."

"So what happened? You ran away, didn't you? You were a deserter like the bandits, except you weren't forced to the hills for survival." Zheng kept his tone calm. He didn't want to agitate his friend, who obviously bore his own guilt and pain like a cross. _On the road to Cavalry,_ Zheng thought.

"I ran away. I abandoned my honor. I abandoned my lord. There was no hope left. I had seen too much."

And then Kuo told Zheng his tale, and that of the Middle Kingdom.

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Kuo Fan had been the son of a minor official. Growing up, he had become a junior officer. He was not the finest of warriors nor the smartest of tacticians, but he did okay. Early on, he attached himself to Cao Cao's rising star, and was one of the future Lord of Wei's earliest supporters.

For 16 years he had fought bravely under Cao Cao, until the terrible Battle of Chi Bi, where Zhou Yu, Zhuge Liang, and Pang Tong had conspired to send the mighty Wei army to crushing defeat. Cao Cao had been lured into attacking the weaker Wei and Shu Kingdoms before he would turn his attentions to the mighty armies of Dong Zhuo and Lu Bu, and the three kingdoms paid heavily for his decision.

Shu was annihilated in its infancy, Zhuge Liang killed by a posse of Dong Zhuo's officers as they ganged up on Liu Bei's retreating forces. The three oath brothers died holding the lines, fulfilling their oaths to one another as they died within hours of one another. It was said that the very skies themselves wept on that day. Not much was known of the fate of Liu Bei's other generals.

Then Dong Zhuo's horde turned towards Cao Cao's beaten army in pursuit. Kuo cried into his wine as he described the slow, humiliating retreat, nipped off bit by bit by Dong Zhuo's generals. The deaths of so many friends and renowned heroes, first on the sea, then by Dong Zhuo's men, broke him. He tore off his uniform, and hid in the forests until the danger was past. Cao Cao was killed, as were many of his top generals and strategists, like Xiahou Dun, Xu Zhu, Zhang He, and Sima Yi.

Sun Ce was next. Dong Zhuo sent the full force of his fury against the son and heir of Sun Jian, and while Sun Ce managed to hold by dint of tremendous sacrifice in men and material, losses were so heavy that Kuo privately doubted if Sun Ce could ever hold an offensive again. Even worse were the loss of many of his best generals, as well as the capture of his wife and sister-in-law, the beautiful Qiao sisters, and his sister Lady Sun. That alone had made the ruler of Wu a broken man, unwilling to fight any more except to safeguard his holdings.

Dong Zhuo finally declared himself emperor only a few weeks ago.

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"So, what do you think now, young man?" Kuo said as he downed another cup of wine. "Our country is heading towards oblivion, and there's nothing I can do. Nothing I would do."

Zheng smiled ruefully, "For starters, I'm not all that young. I've seen thirty winters myself. Next, as for what I really think… You had no choice. None at all. From the moment Cao Cao planned to attack Wei, everything was set. A balance of 4 forces is… somewhat complicated…" _How the hell do I explain lopsided 4 faction game theory to him?_

"As for Dong Zhuo, maybe you wouldn't have to worry about him too long. Sooner or later, his armies will grow weak, vulnerable."

When Kuo started to shake his head, Zheng insisted, "No, look around you. The lands in Dong Zhuo's hands are lying barren, stripped of their value, without people to work on them as he concentrates on his own pleasures and his armies. In," Zheng closed his eyes, making a quick guesstimate, "20 years, his empire would have collapsed under its own weight as the system he is sucking off gets sucked away into nothing."

"But by that time, how many more would have died?" Kuo replied. "Would you abandon more souls to their fate under Dong Zhuo's rule, knowing that many, many more would die, if not of war and battle, then of starvation and disease?"

Zheng stared into his own wine cup, unable to reply.

"You are a fine man, Zheng De Zhao." Kuo said abruptly. "I cannot, am not, able to make a difference. I do not have the ability to. But you have."

"And how would you know that?" _I'm half broken myself, or can't you see that? I've seen more men die in one bloody battle than you ever did. I've held my lover in my arms as she died. Is there anything worse in life than that?_

"One. Your skills in battle. Two, you are smart. Three, there's something in you I cannot understand, but which both terrifies me and gives me hope."

Zheng waved his hands, "Undeserved praise."

"Talent is talent, Zheng, and I see it in you." Kuo's eyes were no longer filled with despair, but were filled with a strange fire. "Go to Wu, my friend, and enlist in their army. The Middle Kingdom's last hope against Dong Zhuo's tyranny is Sun Ce and his kingdom. You will find yourself useful there."

They stared at each other for several moments after that, before Zheng said, "And that's not all, isn't it? There's still a lot you're not telling me."

"And there's lots you're not telling me as well, friend." Kuo smiled sadly. "Away for a long time?" Kuo raised an eyebrow.

Zheng shrugged, "Hey, it works most of the time."

"I can't tell you because too much is at stake."

"And I can't tell you because you won't understand."

They stared at each other, then broke out into laughter simultaneously.

"Then come, my friend! Let us drink, to two idiots who have secrets to hide!" Kuo grinned.

"Come on, give me your best shot!" Zheng challenged, grinning stupidly.

Both men drained their cups in a single swallow. Zheng shook his head slightly to rid himself of the encroaching tipsiness, then suggested, "Since fate has brought us together on this day, why don't we become sworn brothers?"

"Very well!" Kuo agreed. "I would be honored!"

The two men kneeled outside the inn in the dead of the night, on a small altar used by the townsfolk for their daily rituals. There were no crowds of spectators, no beautiful scenery, no expensive setup and sacrifices at the altar. They knelt in the dirt, cheap wine cups in their hands, dressed in dirty and bloodied clothes. They said their oaths, kowtowed three times to the altar, then to each other.

"Elder brother!" Zheng said as he grasped Kuo by the arms.

"Younger brother!" Kuo said happily. "Hah! I can finally claim to my friends that I have a younger brother who is far more talented than I!"

"Boasting's not good, elder brother." Zheng smirked.

"Ahh, anyway, we should rest now. I'd have things to tell you tomorrow." They stood, and Kuo nodded to Zheng, smiling contentedly. For a moment, Zheng did not see the broken man who had cried into his wine cup over his failures, but rather the man who had once been a proud officer in the armies of Wei.

Kuo went into the inn, while Zheng stared up into the sky, looking at the stars, wondering which one was home and clutching the pouch by his side, thinking of other times when he had walked under a starlit sky with his loved one…

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_Chang Sha_

Zhou Yu gasped as he stared up at the sky. _A new formation! A new star!_

He had been seized by apathy for the past few weeks, ever since Xiao Qiao had been captured. Everything was done as though he was in a daze, and it seemed that Zhang Zhao was the only one holding the realm together, with Sun Ce afflicted as well with worry and pain for his wife.

But now he had seen a new star. The last time such a thing had happened, Wang Yun's plan had fallen through and Yuan Shao's alliance broken by Dong Zhuo's armies, led by Lu Bu. Would this new star and the alignment of the planets herald ill as well?

His mind moving faster than it had for days, Zhou Yu calculated silently, and reached a startling conclusion._ The previous omen was for the Killer of __Man.__ This time, it is for the Divine Sword of Heaven. A warrior, making his mark on the world._

He continued staring at the sky for several more moments, before coming to a decision. _No more moping around. If there truly is a Divine Sword of Heaven out there, that means we finally have hope. We must find him, and fast!_

Because the alternative was simply too ghastly to contemplate.

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Zheng De Zhao-His name has a variety of meanings in Chinese or Mandarin. 'De' is for virtue, while 'Zhao' means shine. Roughly, it could mean a beacon of virtue(which he protests vehemently). An alternative interpretation is by taking his surname and using it to mean the emperor. Zheng De Zhao would mean "Emperor under care", which he insists is even worse. A common joke slightly mispronounces his name to Jin De Zhao, which means in a certain dialect-"Very good at running away". Oops.

Zheng's style name-He has one, but not revealed yet. Oh, okay, I'll bite. It's 'Po Jun'-Breaker of Armies. Which army? Zheng is embarrassed to admit that while he had broken almost every single one of the armies he has faced, more than half the time his own had to crawl off the field. But hey, being outnumbered all the time, that's pretty good results.

Kuo Fan-'Kuo' refers to wide, encompassing. 'Fan' means ordinary. The two words together mean extreme ordinariness. Not a good thing for a soldier, but Kuo has found his new niche… a spy for Wu, where being ordinary is a Very Good Thing™.

Kuo's style name-She Jing. 'She' means snake, while 'Jing' means channel, dimension. This refers to Kuo's crafty nature and ability to squirm out of the tightest spots.

Ruan Shi-Like Zheng knew, it meant Chaos Era, or Era of Chaos if you want that bit of extra oomph.

Ruan's style name-Qin Sha. Wanton Slaughter. Kinda says it all, huh?

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Reviews are definitely welcome! Considering the crap I write…


	2. Ride of the Valkyries

_The punishment for spies throughout history was death. For this alone, Kuo Fan is to be commended for his courage. It takes one kind of courage to fight in open battle; another to steel the nerves in the enemy's camp and reveal nothing time and again._

-Zhou Yu

It was early the next morning when Kuo Fan and Zheng De Zhao sat in the inn with their breakfast of a few buns. Zheng was feeling rested, but only because of the sleeping pills. He shuddered when he thought of running out of them.

Kuo handed Zheng two letters, "My brother, I'm afraid we must part ways now. I have to proceed to Luoyang, the seat of Dong Zhuo's power. You do not need to follow me. However, I do have a task for you. Take these letters."

Zheng pocketed the letters, "As long as it is within my ability, I will do it."

"Go to Wu. Seek out Minister Zhang Zhao and give him these letters. I am an acquaintance of his and he will receive you. One letter concerns me, the other concerns you."

"What?"

"It is a letter of recommendation. With it, at least you can start out as a junior officer or a ranking subordinate. The rest, though, is up to you."

Zheng nodded gratefully. "Thank you. Are you sure you don't need me to accompany you?"

"I think I can take care of myself. The road from here to Luoyang is a bit safer with armies often passing by on the way."

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, then Kuo said, "Oh, I nearly forgot."

"Yeah?"

"You'll need a cover identity."

Zheng grinned, "Brother, I'm an unknown. Nobody knows who I am. No reason to hunt me, eh?"

"I meant you should pose as somebody to avoid trouble. Here's some money." Kuo took out a few tokens of money.

Zheng protested, "No, I can't accept this! I already have the money from the bandits…"

"No, I want you to buy some wine from the brewery on the outskirts of the town. Their Huamei wine made here is famous throughout the land. Posing as a wine merchant, you can probably sneak past the Dong empire's borders more easily. The money should be enough to buy several casks of the wine, as well as two horses and a wagon for the wine."

"And?" Zheng asked, knowing there was more.

"Second, you can use the wine to bribe your way. And the other reason is that they're dragging men off the streets to serve in their army. As a merchant, you're considered inviolate, at least so far." Kuo wiped away some water from his small beard, "Finally, you might even earn some money!"

"Then I'll be sure to share the profits with you!" Zheng raised his cup of water in a small toast to his brother as thanks.

Kuo laughed, shaking his head in amusement.

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"Are our armies ready?" Dong Zhuo asked his top officers while staring out from his balcony at his vast palace garden. Ruan Shi and Lu Bu stood silently behind him. Both out to usurp his position. Both out to guard against each other.

"More than 150,000 men are already on the march towards Chang Sha. Soon Wu will be broken, leaving your Majesty as sole ruler of the Middle Kingdom." Ruan Shi's soft but edged voice replied. He was a tall man, clean shaven. Carrying himself with a silent menace, he was both a powerful warrior and brilliant strategist. Dong Zhuo did not trust him at all, but put up with him because he still required Ruan's services.

Lu Bu, the mightiest warrior in the land, by contrast, was a seething package of rage. Ever since Dong Zhuo was alerted of his plotting with Wang Yun to assassinate him by Ruan, Dong had arranged for Diao Chan to be held as a hostage. If anything happened to him, Dong Zhuo, the next person to die would be Diao Chan, Lu Bu's lady love. That kept him in line. Periodic visits between the two, separated by several cell bars, served to keep Lu Bu in line.

Dong Zhuo did not fear meeting Lu Bu in private, as long as Ruan was there. If anything, Lu Bu hated Ruan Shi more than Dong Zhuo, for foiling his plan to kill Dong Zhuo. Ruan Shi had killed his wives and children, laying out to him exactly what he was to do if he and his lady love were to stay alive.

But as much as he relied on Ruan Shi, he needed Lu Bu to counter his chief advisor from usurping his position. Soon… soon the time will come when he'll be rid of both men, removing the need to play them off each other. But now, he still needed their skill and strength.

Dong smiled, "Lu Bu, I want you to ride forward and take overall command. Do this, and I may yet release Diao Chan to you as your reward once I am ruler of all under heaven." Lu Bu nodded stiffly.

"Ruan Shi, you'll stay behind to guard against any possible incursions by Sun Ce and his rabble. Make sure the women don't escape. I want them fully broken before I enjoy their bodies."

"Yes, your Majesty."

Dong Zhuo turned back towards the view of the scenery, "Both of you may now leave."

"Thank you, your highness!" Both men said. Both equally sincere, which is to say not sincere at all.

Dong Zhuo sighed. It had been like this ever since Xian had abdicated in his favor. Who knew that being emperor would bring its own load of problems? Even though he was theoretically and practically the ruler of the lands of the former Han, he had to guard against enemies not just on the outside, but on the inside as well.

Unlike Sun Ce, Liu Bei, or the accursed Cao Cao, who was now thankfully dead, he had no subordinates who were truly loyal _and_ capable. It was either one or the other. The closest was Zhang Liao, but Zhang Liao was now the military governor of the territories formerly held by Liu Bei, too far away to render immediate aid.

_Good men are so difficult to come by_, Dong Zhuo mused as he smelled the sweet scent of a concubine entering his room for his daily pleasure. _But beautiful women are even more difficult to find, and in this, at least, I have more than I need!_

And there were the bevy of beauties in his dungeons, still waiting for his touch…

Dong Zhuo laughed in delight as he felt the concubine's first gentle caresses, enjoying the spoils of his position and forgetting his troubles.

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Kuo Fan tried to ignore the sinking feeling in his stomach as he entered Luoyang, with not even a weapon to defend himself. The city gates were well guarded, and the guards searched the people entering the city diligently and carefully. More than a few heads were stuck on pikes lining the road entering the city, attesting to their effectiveness.

He forced himself to remain calm. He wasn't going to Luoyang to fight. He was going there on a rescue mission, and he wasn't going to fight if he could help it. He was too valuable to Wu as a spy.

Zhang Zhao, one of Sun Ce's strategists, and the minister responsible for the internal affairs of the Wu kingdom, had realized that his kingdom's present malaise could be attributed to just one thing: Da Qiao, the wife of Sun Ce, the empress of Wu, and her sister Xiao Qiao, the wife of Wu's top strategist Zhou Yu, were in the grubby hands of Dong Zhuo.

In order to help his ruler and colleague, Zhang Zhao had implemented this dangerous plan. He would sneak a hundred men into Luoyang, without weapons and armor. They were to try to acquire equipment within Luoyang itself. When the time was ready, they would storm the palace and rescue the empress and her sister.

Kuo Fan's role in this was to provide detailed intelligence on where the prisoners were held, as well as being the pipeline from Zhang Zhao to the men. His latest trip back to the borders of Wu was to inform Zhang Zhao that the captives of Dong Zhuo did not just consist of the Qiao sisters and Lady Sun, and what they should do.

The foul beast had seized as captives women belonging to his fallen enemies. The wives of many of Shu and Wei's fallen generals now languished in his dungeons. Kuo had even heard that Dong Zhuo had once ordered an expedition against the Nammen, and the result had been utter destruction of the tribes there, as well as the capture of their queen.

Zhang Zhao's orders had been clear on this. Get as many of the women out as possible. Kuo had been flabbergasted for a moment, before Zhang Zhao explained.

Many of Shu and Wei's generals, officers, and soldiers were still alive, hiding from Dong Zhuo but not making any moves to oppose him either. If the women of their lords and friends were to somehow turn up in Wu, safe from Dong Zhuo and treated with respect, Zhang Zhao reasoned that these men might well flock to Sun Ce's banner.

To defeat Dong Zhuo would require an effort unimaginable since Qin Shi Huang, Wang Jie, and Li Si had plotted to unite the Warring States. They would need every available talent from the former Shu and Wei. Generals like Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Xu Huang, and Xiahou Yuan could well be the force that would turn the tide.

Kuo immediately sensed the tension in Luoyang when he entered. A city under martial law, almost every corner was rumored to be occupied by Ruan Shi's secret police. People who spoke out against Dong Zhuo would just disappear in the night. Sometimes they would turn up on the streets, with the word "Traitor" branded across their naked bodies.

Then there were more rumors, that many of those that disappeared were sent to some strange camps outside Luoyang as forced labor, working on all sorts of infernal devices made by Ruan Shi.

If he wasn't careful, Kuo would end up like them. He hoped he didn't look too nervous.

He stopped by a clothing shop selling fabrics, dropping off his load of fabric and collecting the money from the shop owner. Within the enfolded fabrics were the messages for the men, detailing the rescue plan and Zhang Zhao's orders. The shop owner, a long time occupant of the city and a devoted servant of Wei and Cao Cao, was one of the few who had turned to Wu in order to defeat Dong Zhuo.

His task done, Kuo found an inn where he would stay over in Luoyang doing some legitimate transactions for the next few days. The men would attempt their rescue two days later, while he himself would depart in seven days. The point was to look as innocuous as possible, while lying as little as possible.

He only hoped the women could be rescued.

Then as he sat in the teahouse drinking, his thoughts turned to his newly sworn brother, Zheng De Zhao. He thought back to their initial encounter on the road to Xi Tou, their conversations, and then the battle with the bandits. Through it all, Kuo had the distinct impression that Zheng had been holding something back.

The short battle, as he replayed it in his mind, was the most interesting. He could not be sure, but Kuo suspected that Zheng had been holding back. _And if he was holding back, and still killed three times as many men as I did, then what is his true level of skill?_

In any case, Kuo was sure he did the right thing, sending Zheng to Wu. Zheng was an impressive sight, only slightly shorter than Dian Wei, along with a short beard to try to make himself look older, but failing horribly and only exaggerating his youth, even though he was already 30 from his own accounts. Kuo knew Zhang Zhao would find a place for him easily in Wu's army.

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Deep within the dungeons of Luoyang, several women gathered in a rough circle in their cold palace. They were all extraordinarily beautiful, yet an air of despondence hung over many of them. Defeated, then tortured day and night by Dong Zhuo's wardens, they clung to one another, sharing their strength in their sisterhood even though they had fought against one another in the past.

"Is everyone here?" Yue Ying asked. As the oldest in the group by a few months, she was their nominal leader, though her intelligence and calm were the most important reasons. Her face was tired, both from holding back the pain of her torture and the loss of her husband, the brilliant strategist Zhuge Liang.

"Yes," Zhu Rong reported. She was the second oldest, and though she had had once been a queen, most of her defiance had been beaten out of her. She nevertheless banked her anger, waiting for the day when she would avenge her dead king upon Dong Zhuo and Ruan Shi. Lu Bu alone was spared her wrath, because of the woman sitting beside her.

Diao Chan was on the verge of tears all the time, made all the worse because she knew that the women around her, by now acknowledged as her sworn sisters, were in such dire straits precisely because she had failed in her task to turn Lu Bu against Dong Zhuo. Who knew that Lu Bu would be such a slave to love that he would abase himself and work for Dong Zhuo through so much bloodshed?

Sun Shang Xiang retained much of her vigor, since she had spent the least time within the dungeon, but even that was fading fast. She pined after her brothers and her weapons, as well as the chance to avenge herself on Dong Zhuo.

Zhen Ji was icily calm, pretending that she wasn't affected at all by her incarceration, but a closer look into her eyes revealed the intense grief she felt at the loss of her unborn son and her husband Cao Pi. She had been pregnant for a few months when Dong Zhuo had destroyed Wei, killing Cao Pi. In her grief, she had a miscarriage. She wondered if she would ever have the chance to have a family again.

The Qiao sisters looked pale and fragile. Dong Zhuo's torturers had saved their best work for them, seeing as they were the spouses of Dong's remaining opposition. Da Qiao as the elder was holding up better than her sister, but not by much. They both looked like collapsing.

Under their fine clothes, all the women sported bruises and burn marks.

Yue Ying knew why they were all gathered here, in this particular set of rooms in the dungeons. All the worst troublemakers, gathered in one spot and easier for their jailers to guard.

There were more women and children of Shu and Wei scattered throughout the dungeon, and Yue Ying kept in contact with them via hand gestures when she thought the guards weren't looking. From time to time, she would try to take a peek through an open window at the sky, particularly at night where she could read the stars. And she _had_ seen something interesting the previous night.

"Yue Ying, everyone is here, what do you have for us?" Lady Sun asked.

"I've read the stars, and there is a new omen. I cannot say for sure that it is good or bad, but there will be some great change in the days ahead, I'm sure of it."

"Do you see anything that might suggest our escape?" Diao Chan asked.

Yue Ying sighed, "Unfortunately, the stars do not work like that."

She cast her mind back to the night before the final hopeless battle against the might of Dong Zhuo's overwhelming army.

_"My dear, there is nothing left for me except to die and take as many of the enemy with me to hell as I can," her beloved husband Zhuge Liang had said to her in their tent._

_"No! I will not accept that, and neither should you!"_

_"It is all but written in the stars, ever since the Killer of Man appeared." Zhuge Liang sighed. "I thought that I could avert disaster by coming out of seclusion and helping Liu Bei, but now I see it is all for naught. No matter what I did, Cao Cao and Sima Yi were focused on defeating Sun Ce before fighting Dong Zhuo, and now all of us are going to pay for that decision."_

_"Then why did you help Zhou Yu at Chi Bi?" Yue Ying asked. That battle had finished Cao Cao as a force, but had also opened up Liu Bei for a hopeless battle against Dong Zhuo._

_"Because only Sun Ce is the remaining ruler with a chance of defeating Dong Zhuo.__ My plan has failed, but I can already see a new pattern." Kongming said calmly, "Look to the stars, my dear. What do you see?"_

_Yue__ Ying could read the stars, just not as well as her husband. "The fading lights of the Han empire," She gasped, "the death of the Sleeping Dragon. No!"_

_"What else?" Zhuge Liang asked, his steady tone calming her down._

_"Nothing, just a void.__ An empty part of the sky had appeared…"_

_Zhuge__ Liang smiled, "Yes, indeed. An empty part of the sky, ready for a new star…"_

Yue Ying thought sadly, _Mu__ husband, you knew what had to be done, and you never shied from it. And neither would I._

He had told her to survive, to stay alive. Dong Zhuo was a man known for his appetite for women, and Yue Ying was determined to make him pay for that oversight.

The chance will come, Zhuge Liang had said. Evil will be balanced with good. Somebody, something, will appear. The new star in the sky was the omen, and her husband had told her to be ready for it.

But what could she do?

She shuddered as she thought of Ruan Shi, the man who had beheaded her husband. He had advised Dong Zhuo to kill them all. "Leave none alive to take revenge, my lord! Pull them out by the roots and burn them all!"

Dong Zhuo had thankfully refused the advice, and Lu Bu had added his own opinion then, stating that the murder of women and children was not worthy of one who would rule all. Dong Zhuo had been pleased by the words.

"So what do we do now? What can we do?" Lady Sun asked, her natural impatience coming to the fore.

"We have no weapons." Yue Ying stated blandly. "We wait, but we need to build up our strength. For the next few days, I want everyone to act as though they are in more pain than usual. If I'm not wrong, the torturers will adjust accordingly, which would leave us slightly stronger."

"And give them the satisfaction of hearing us beg for their mercy? Never!" Zhu Rong tossed her mane of blond hair back proudly. "I would rather die first!"

"No, this is the only way. If swallowing our pride and begging is the best way out, then we'll do it." Zhen Ji said. "Lady Zhuge Liang, I hope you are right. Because Dong Zhuo might finally think he has broken us and take us into his bed." Zhen Ji shuddered, as did all the women present.

Yue Ying nodded. _I hope this works too._

It was two days later, and all the women did feel stronger when it happened.

A wet gurgle from a guard was only the start. Before they knew it, they found themselves in a stream of prisoners running for all they were worth out of the dungeon into the environs of Luoyang.

"Empress Wu, forgive your servant for his late service!" A man in black clothes said to Da Qiao when they had a moment's respite. He kneeled in front of her, but Da Qiao stopped him with a gesture.

"Please don't. You have done us a great service already, risking your lives."

"My lady, we have horses prepared. My men have cut a way out of the city gates, and they will hold back the palace guards when you leave. You will have to ride as fast as you can for the safety of Wu. We do not have enough strength to escort you."

"Very well," Da Qiao said, then she beckoned to the other women, who followed her to a small stable with horses.

The man bowed again, "We have prepared some armor and weapons for you." They heard more shouts in the distance. The city guards were mustering.

"I must go now. May you find your way back to my lord Sun Ce!" The man ran off.

Each woman quickly mounted a horse, even Zhu Rong, who was unused to the beasts. Sun Shang Xiang led the way with a rousing yell, echoed by the other women as they stormed out of the stable, and right into a troop of soliders.

Armed with their weapons, the female warriors cut them down quickly, bashing their way past and unleashing the rage they had kept within for so long. Within moments, all that was left of the troop were corpses on the ground.

Yue Ying shouted, "We must leave the city now!" She turned her horse around, and started for the gates at a steady canter.

Once past the gates, they kicked their horses into a gallop, and soon they were leaving the city behind them, even as they could see torches being borne by the pursuing troops behind them. They raced away from Luoyang.

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Ruan Shi stared out from the city wall at the fleeing women on horseback, a slight smile tugging at his lips. Yes, everything was going to plan.

Dong Zhuo might have prevented him from killing the women and children, but Ruan Shi had ways around that. He knew that some sort of a rescue attempt would be held, and he had taken some steps to ensure its success in Luoyang.

However, the women would find themselves trapped near the Wu border. And then his troops, under strict orders, would kill them, thereby demoralizing Wu and making the army's progress towards Chang Sha even easier. Lu Bu, with his heart broken by the death of Diao Chan, would not be wary enough to prevent his handpicked assassins from stabbing him in his sleep, eliminating one more obstacle.

Ruan Shi grinned through the mask of his face. He wondered if Dong Zhuo knew the true face that lay beneath the human mask. He intended it as a nice surprise for Dong Zhuo, once he had found the _Fu Yi_ sword.

Oh yes, it was going to be a good day.

Ruan Shi then stared up at the sky, where a new star shone brightly. "Divine Sword of Heaven?" He scoffed at it. "There's nothing you can do!"

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Reviews please! Unless it's really, really crap… which I don't think so.

Next chapter, Zheng De Zhao meets up some of the women! And he gets into several big fights against Dong Zhuo's army! This time though, he also has to start using his brains as well. Good thing he has the wine and sleeping pills!


	3. The Lecher's Ploy

_Back during the interstellar war, I knew we were in trouble whenever I heard the words 'strategic regrouping'. The list of euphemisms for the simple word 'retreat' gets longer by the day…_

-Zheng De Zhao

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Yue Ying pulled up her horse, looking tiredly at the distant dust cloud behind her and the other women. They all leaned over heavily in their saddles, tired from the relentless chase.

Sympathizers on the way had provided fresh horses at regular intervals, often passing on important information about the movement of the Dong Empire's military to the noble ladies to help them escape. Their progress thus far had been rapid, but still they were unable to shake their pursuers.

Yue Ying had thought their escape was too easy, and her worst fears seemed to be confirmed. _They wanted us to escape. But for what purpose?_

The information they had gained on the run for the past four days answered the question for her. _They wanted us to escape, so that they can kill us and demoralize Sun Ce. _She frowned. _Ruan Shi. He's the one behind this. My dear husband wasn't wrong when he claimed Ruan Shi was the most dangerous man in the land, even more so than Lu Bu._

She made a quick calculation. They were not more than three days' ride left from the river Chang Jiang and the city Jiang Xia. Cross the river, and they would be safe in Wu territory. Time to take a gamble.

"Listen up!" She shouted to get their attention. "We are going to split up!"

"What?" The others were surprised at her instructions. "That's crazy!"

"No!" Yue Ying insisted, "If we split up, it increases the chances that Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, and Shang Xiang will be able to get back to Wu. That's all it matters. The fate of Wu rests on Sun Ce and Zhou Yu's ability to fend off the coming assault, and they cannot do it if they miss their loved ones!"

"No. We're safer if we stick together." Shang Xiang argued.

"We're no less safe if they catch us." Zhen Ji pointed out. "Yue Ying is right."

The Qiao sisters seem torn between the options, until Zhu Rong and Diao Chan came down squarely on Yue Ying's side. That settled matters.

Yue Ying quickly formed them up. "Da Qiao, Xiao Qiao, you're in one group, and head down straight to Jiang Xia. If I remember rightly, there should be a bridge for you to cross. Zhen Ji, Diao Chan, you're a pair. Head to the west to throw off their pursuit. Shang Xiang, Zhu Rong, go a bit to the east, but not too far. Shang Xiang needs to return to Wu."

Zhu Rong disagreed this time. "And you go it alone? No, I think you should move with Shang Xiang. I can find my own way. Besides, the two of us are too hot headed, and this might be a problem."

Yue Ying stared at the warrior queen, then nodded. "Very well." She kicked the sides of her tiring horse. "Let's not waste time, and start moving now! See you all in Jiang Xia!"

They rode off in 4 different directions, with tears in their eyes. They knew that some of them would probably be caught. They dare not think of the fates in store for those who failed to escape.

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Captain Han Rao was one of the officers tasked to hunt down the fleeing women, and his unit of thirty men had tracked their movements down to an area near the river. He communicated with his superiors by means of messenger pigeons and strategically placed fires, ideas devised by Lord Ruan Shi.

He had been told to move his unit to a small pass where they would be able to spring a trap from which there was no escape. And after he had subdued the women, his orders had been to enjoy himself, and let his men get a share of the spoils as well. The only caveat was that Ruan Shi wanted the dead and defiled bodies of the women to be preserved so that he could display them during the assault to drive the defenders of Wu into madness.

Han Rao loved his job.

The sound of galloping horses made him gesture to his men to keep their heads down. They laid in wait, making not a single sound as Han Rao peeked out from his hiding spot to see two women riders approach the pass. One of them, a woman with flowing long hair, was dressed in green and white armor, wielding a long barbed spear. The other, with her hair cut short, wore a red and beige blouse, with two circular blades on her back. Chakrams, he had heard them called.

He and his men waited tensely as the women rode into the pass, not suspecting a thing. Then he shouted, "Now!"

His men stood up and flung nets over the women. The horses reared up in fright at the sight of flashing steel and the shouts of battles from all around them. The two women brandished their weapons, only to find themselves stuck in the nets.

"Get them!" Han Rao leapt down from his hiding spot down to the pass, and then running forward with his cudgel. Most of his men were armed with blunt weapons as well. _Take them alive_, had been the orders.

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Sun Shang Xiang tried unsuccessfully to quell the fear running unchecked through her body as she struggled to free herself from the net that had entangled her feet and arms. She had managed to hold out her chakrams, but she had barely enough space to bring it round with enough speed to cut through the net. She could try sawing through them, and it was taking too long.

Yue Ying was in even worse trouble. She had been leading the way into the pass, and the men had reached her first. Her horse had collapsed onto the ground, almost trapping her if she had not managed to roll away in time. But to no avail, as the men descended on her with leering smiles and cruel weapons.

Sun Ren screamed for her friend as Yue Ying was being beaten into unconsciousness. The men smashed down with their cudgels and staves, while Yue Ying struggled to free herself from her own net.

Then it was her turn as five men surrounded her. Shang Xiang swore and cursed with all the anger she could muster as they hit her again and again. A blow to her chest left her breathless, while two powerful blows to her back sent her sprawling to the floor.

She lifted her head up in time to see Yue Ying freed from the nets, but being carried up into the air by a big soldier with both his brawny arms. He brought Yue Ying's body and slender waist down across his knee.

"Arrghhh!" Yue Ying shrieked in pain, then dropped to the ground in defeat, barely awake.

Shang Xiang didn't think it could get worse, but it did. They pulled her up painfully by her hair, then one man proceeded to drive his staff with incredible force into her belly. Shang Xiang gasped, all the air in her lungs driven out by the attack. She fell to her knees, her limbs drained of any resistance.

They pulled the nets off her, and started to tear off her armor. "No! Please stop! You can't do this!" Lady Sun screamed in fear, begging for help and pleading for them to stop, but their sneering glances at her chest and the area between her legs left her with no illusions as to their intentions.

Yue Ying was in similar straits. An officer, by the looks of his uniform, was eagerly grabbing pieces of the green armor over her torso and pulling it off roughly, alternating it with more blows to her damaged waist, right in the middle of the golden buckle that adorned her waist.

Shang Xiang hung her head in defeat. They had failed in their escape, and now they would pay the price. She tried to prevent them from pulling off her clothes, but it was half hearted and with the knowledge that it was useless. She was left with only one short shirt on her as protection.

"Bring them along first!" The officer shouted in victory. "We'll enjoy them away from this place!"

His men agreed heartily, scaring Sun Ren out of her wits as they fondled her body while binding her arms and legs with rough rope. She found herself carried by another large man over his shoulder. The same was done to Yue Ying, who was by now clad only in the barest of undergarments after her armor and outer clothing had been removed.

Shang Xiang groaned. _Is this how it is going to end? With our rape and defilement? And then death? Oh please, Heavens, kill me now and spare me the agony and humiliation!_

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"Come one, come on! Vroom, vroom!" Zheng De Zhao said while his hands mimicked the movements of driving a car, while he rode the wagon being pulled by two horses. "We're shifting into fourth gear already and you're still so slow! Can't you boys pick it up just a little bit?" He griped at his horses. Two almost identical neighs answered him.

They were moving at not much faster than walking speed.

Zheng flung his hands up in resignation. "I am fucking bored!" He shouted out in English. "This is fucking slow, and I'm fucking tired of having my fucking route changed every few fucking days!"

It had been a long two weeks of travel, since his departure from Xi Tou with his cargo of wine and Kuo Fan's letters. From An Le he had wanted to get to Xin Ye, and then to cross Chang Jiang at Jiang Ling, but severe flooding of the Yu river near Xin Ye had forced him to veer away and go toward Yi Yang.

Then rumors of some large scale military movements blocking the routes from Yi Yang to Jiang Ling forced him to continue east towards Ping Chun. At Ping Chun, he thought he would have an easy run down to Jiang Xia, but then some sort of landslide blocked many of the roads from Ping Chun. He had been forced to detour yet again along the Huai river before he was able to turn south.

And now he was still a week's worth of slow and excruciating ride away from Wu.

He reached down to his pouch, as he often did when he had nothing to do. He opened the pouch, taking out the jade necklace, and stared at it sadly. He continued looking at it for an entire hour, engulfed in his memories.

The hot afternoon sun beat its scorching rays mercilessly down onto the ground, but Zheng barely noticed.

Then his ears suddenly picked up something. Zheng tucked the necklace into the pouch, and halted the wagon, jerking on the reins of the horses. He closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the sounds.

_I can hear the laughter of men, the sound of weapons. _He frowned. _Is it my problem?_

His curiosity getting the better of him, Zheng got off the wagon, and crept slowly towards the direction of the sound, coming from a patch of forest just to the left of the road ahead.

He saw a group of men, cavorting wildly in their camp. But of far more interest were the two women bound by their hands and feet in the middle of the clearing. The leering faces cast the women's way made the situation entirely clear to Zheng.

_Those bastards! _He was already reaching for his sword before his brain caught up with his hands in time. _No, if I fight, the women might be harmed. I must devise some ploy…_

Then he thought of the wine. And his supply of sleeping pills.

_I hope this is worth it, _Zheng grumbled to himself as he dumped his entire supply of sleeping pills into the urns of wine. _Here goes my sleep, and hello to eternal insomnia for the rest of my days._

He took a small stick from the ground, and gave the contents of the urns a few stirs. _Water soluble sleeping tablets, what a wonderful invention,_ he thought.

_Okay_, he started the wagon moving forward, _here goes nothing._

When he reached the point of the road near the camp, he shouted out upon coming into clear view of the camp, "Wine! Huamei Wine from Xi Tou!"

Almost immediately, a soldier blocked his path, a spear in hand, its business end pointed at him, "Who are you?"

"Wha… What?" Zheng pretended to be surprised. "Just a merchant passing through! Would you like a sniff of my wine?"

The soldier stared at him, then grinned, "Yeah!"

"Come on! Come on!" Zheng smiled as he lifted up one urn for the soldier to smell. Delight over the man's face told him the rest. The soldier reached for the urn, but Zheng held the urn back. "Wait! If you want, help me get these urns to your fellow soldiers!"

"All right!" The soldier clapped his hands in glee.

"What's this?" An officer came up to them as Zheng was lifting up two urns.

_You can never be too polite, especially to officers._ "Oh, great lord!" said Zheng, "I see your men need some refreshments! I am willing to part with my load of wine in return for a favor!"

"And that is?" The officer's eyes glinted suspiciously.

"Oh, just some time with those two fine women over there!" Zheng gestured to the two bound women. "Nothing special, but they're so pretty…" Zheng threw in a perverted leer, "As long as my lord allows me some time with them, I would consider that payment in full for the wine!"

The officer blinked, and Zheng could hear the wheels spinning in his brain. _Oh sure, why not? They're prisoners. Nobody gives a damn about prisoners. They can't be anyone important, because important people aren't left with only one layer of clothes while being leered at by a bunch of horny soldiers._

The officer grinned slowly, "Wine and women together. What could be better? Come on, bring up the wine!"

"Of course, my lord!" Zheng smiled, lugging the urns up to the camp along with the soldier helping him. He ogled the two women looking at him, and he gave them a wink and a leer as he walked past them, which made them stare at him in disgust. One of them, a short haired girl, muttered, "Lecher." The other woman, a long haired woman, simply spat at him in the face.

Zheng slowly wiped off the spittle on his face with one sleeve. "Aw," he taunted, playing his part of the lecher to the hilt, "Such beauty should not be paired with such attitude!"

"Hah!" The officer laughed, "These girls have attitude all right! But it'll be beaten out of them, and forced out of them very soon!" His men laughed along, and Zheng laughed as well, while trying to clamp down on the warm feelings in his groin. _After all, I'm still a man, and those ladies are really beautiful._

He poured the wine from the urns into their bowls, and soon every man had a bowl of wine. Zheng toasted them, lifting up his own bowl, "To the brave men of Han Rao! May all of you achieve victory in battle!"

They roared with approval, and drank down their bowls eagerly. Zheng made a quick motion and threw his portion into the ground without anybody noticing. Then he started pouring out more wine for them, encouraging them to drink more.

Han Rao shouted, "Since I've had my taste of wine, I think I should now have a taste of woman! As officer, I should be first!" His men laughed, and Han Rao started walking towards the women.

Then he suddenly stopped, one hand reaching up to his head, "What? I feel so tired…" Then Han Rao fell to the ground in a heap.

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Yue Ying stared in amazement as the men who had captured them all fell to the ground, dropping their weapons.

Then she saw the wine merchant, the only one still on his feet, walk over. _He simply wants to take advantage of us first! _She hissed at him in anger, "Go away, scum!"

He was a tall, lean but strong-looking man, standing even taller than General Zhao Yun, with a thin beard and moustache on his face. He looked not much more than thirty years old, though the beard and moustache made him look a bit ridiculous. But the leering grin on his face was gone, replaced by a deadly seriousness. His eyes were like chips of black steel, with hidden depths in them. His clothes were that of a peasant, but he carried himself with a grace and authority that did not suit his poor attire.

"I'm here to help." He said without preamble, leaning and cutting away her bonds with a single flick of the dagger in his hand.

Yue Ying immediately swung her hand up to strike him, but he caught her hand easily, twisting it in his grasp and moving up behind her, her arm pinned to her back. She could feel his warm body against her rear, and Yue Ying blushed angrily at her compromising position. _He could defile me…_

"I said I'm here to help." He repeated, without any anger in his voice. He then released her arm.

Yue Ying spun around, reaching down to the ground for a nearby sword. She held it out in front of her, only to find the man had turned his back to her and was now cutting Sun Shang Xiang loose. Shang Xiang, for her part, looked totally bewildered at this turn of events.

He turned to Yue Ying, "I just lost a great deal of money on that wine to rescue you, and this is what you think I am?" He rolled his eyes as he started to walk towards a part of the camp. "Sheesh."

"What?" Yue Ying asked, as she ran over to Sun Shang Xiang to help her up. "Who are you?" _If he's not the enemy, then who is he? He doesn't seem to know who we are, or else he would have been a lot more respectful. That rules him out as one of Zhang Zhao's agents._

"That's the first good question you asked today." The man replied, his dagger prying open a chest, and revealing some men's clothing. "I'm Zheng De Zhao. Vagrant, merchant, ne'er do well."

He handed them the clothes, "And you two ladies are?"

Yue Ying stared at the bundle he held out to her, then shook her head to focus herself. She took the clothes, even though they were for men. Right now, anything was better than running around almost naked. Sun Ren was still slightly in shock over the rapid turn of events, leaning against a tree.

"I am Huang Yue Ying, wife of," her throat caught for a moment, "Zhuge Liang of Shu. And the other lady is Lady Sun Shang Xiang of Wu. If you know what's good for you, you'd treat us with more respect from now on."

"What?" Zheng had been walking around the clearing, slitting the throats of the sleeping men. It was his turn to be the one in disbelief now. He gaped at her and Lady Sun, who were pulling over the extra clothes over their thin layers.

"Yue Ying? Sun Shang Xiang?" He asked, shaking his head and clearly not believing her. "Then what are you doing here?"

"We were captured by Dong Zhuo" Shang Xiang spoke now. "He forced us into his dungeons and tortured us for weeks. We managed to escape Luoyang, and were trying to get to Wu, where my brother Sun Ce could offer protection and future vengeance on the usurper and his bandits." Her voice was heavy with barely controlled rage. "Touch us and you will die, lecher."

He gazed at them for a while, before he went back to killing the men of Han Rao's troop. "Okay, assuming you are who you claim you are, what are you going to do now?"

Yue Ying looked at Sun Shang Xiang, and Sun nodded slightly. Yue Ying walked silently up behind Zheng, who was killing the last of the troop, and knocked him unconscious with a vicious blow to the head using the hilt of her sword.

"That's for ogling us when we were helpless," Lady Sun started to run for the wagon. "Come on, Yue Ying, he had horses, two of them. We can use them to ride to my brother. The other troops must be getting near. We have to start moving, now!"

Yue Ying stared down at the man at her feet. He had killed the troop, so he should not be in any immediate danger unless a patrol passed by, which seemed unlikely as most of the patrols they had to dodge were arrayed to block them. But she did feel a pang of regret for repaying his aid with harm. She knelt down beside his body, and said, "I'm sorry. One day, or in a future life, I'll repay this debt to you."

She then stood up, and ran for the horses, which Sun Shang Xiang had detached from the wagon.

The two women rode off, leaving behind the wagon, the camp, lots of dead bodies, and one seemingly unconscious man.

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Zheng De Zhao got up once he was sure they were out of sight, rubbing the back of his aching head with both hands, and smirked to himself, "Women with attitude indeed."

He had feigned unconsciousness, and he had been prepared when Yue Ying had hit him, rolling with the blow just enough to reduce the impact. Did they _really_ thought they could sneak up on him?

He got up, and collected a bow and a quiver of arrows from the dead troop, as well as several more flasks of water and food. He then looked at the urns of wine, and decided to take along two small bags of the spiked wine as well. Something told him it might be useful.

He started walking down the road at a hard marching pace, following the tracks of the horses. It was a tough pace he was used to ever since training at infantry school, and he estimated he could still cover about 60 klicks per day. Of course, with it being so late in the afternoon, he had only a few hours of light left.

_I suppose I could continue walking at night by moonlight. It's not as if I can sleep anyway, _he reasoned. He pushed forward, moving fast and eating up the ground with his long strides. _Sure as hell I'm moving faster than those damn horses were back there!_

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The horses weren't very good. They weren't warhorses, just cheap quality horses, barely more than ponies, meant for menial tasks and lowly peasants. Sun Shang Xiang wanted to curse at Zheng De Zhao for supplying them with such lousy horses, but she supposed she should be grateful to him that they were out of that fix at all.

Yue Ying rode forward in silence, and Shang Xiang had been around her long enough to know that Yue Ying was regretting her actions back at the camp, and thinking if she really should have knocked out that blasted lecher. Second guessing herself.

"That lecher should be fine back there." Shang Xiang offered to her friend as they rode, trying to ignore the sounds of their pursuers close behind. But inwardly, she was still angry at him for not helping them from the very beginning. And he had the temerity to ogle them when they were tied up! To top it all off, he never apologized!

"I'm thinking we should have asked him nicely. He did help us, after all."

"But he could just be tricking us and then betraying us to Dong Zhuo for a reward. No, this was for the best."

Yue Ying was about to reply when her horse stumbled and fell to the ground. Yue Ying managed to land safely on her feet, but the horse laid panting, its legs moving weakly. Sun Shang Xiang had been around horses long enough to know when they had been pushed to the brink of death.

"Yue Ying, come on!" Shang Xiang reached out her hand, and pulled Yue Ying up onto her horse, despite her own exhaustion. Between the lack of rest in their frantic flight and the beating they had taken when they were captured, they were in no shape for any kind of battle.

"This can't last!" Yue Ying exclaimed. "Your horse isn't much better!"

"We have no choice!"

"Then leave me!"

"No!" Shang Xiang gritted her teeth. "I'll not leave you behind! We left the prison together, we're going to reach Wu together!"

More shouts from behind them warned them of the pursuit, spurring them on as desperation grew in their hearts. The tiring horse started to slow down despite their best exhortations.

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_Going on foot is sometimes faster than riding, _Zheng mused as he dashed through the dense forest. _There are places a man can go where a horse can't._

He had cut through the dense forests, relying almost completely on his instincts and his internal compass for directions. A map told him the route which Yue Ying and Sun Shang Xiang were taking, the same route he had planned to take with the wine wagon to Jiang Xia. It was a bit winding, but that also offered him the chance to reduce the travel time drastically under the present circumstances.

The sound of cavalry patrols hot on the heels of the women had been his cue, and so Zheng, not knowing exactly why he was doing so, found himself running to catch up to the women on horseback.

He ran out of the forest in time to see the two women on a single horse ride towards him. He could see their faces of sheer incredulity as he gave them a jaunty salute. "Hi there! Did you miss me?"

"Watch out!" Yue Ying yelled at Sun Shang Xiang, who narrowly missed Zheng as she pulled the panting horse to a slower pace.

"What are you doing here, pervert?" Lady Sun snapped at him.

Just behind them were a troop of pursuing cavalry. Zheng narrowed his eyes, and did not answer Shang Xiang. He slapped their horse once to force it to keep moving and not stop, "Keep on riding forward, but slow down and don't kill the beast. I'll delay the pursuit."

"That's about fifteen cavalrymen behind us, and more than thirty soldiers! Are you insane?" Shang Xiang asked.

"Don't worry," Zheng said seriously. "I know what I'm doing."

Shang Xiang shook her head and turned away, "Stupid lecher. Go on and die then, idiot!"

"Stay alive," Yue Ying added.

"I will." He answered solemnly. The two women rode off.

_I cannot stop all the horsemen if they decide to ride past me. I have to block their passage somehow…_ De Zhao took the two water bags filled with wine out, and doused a rag with the alcohol, then wrapped it around an arrow. He scattered the remaining alcohol on the ground, then ran further down the road, lighting up the raghead arrow with a tinder. He stopped about 60 meters down the road, then notched the arrow to his bow.

"Cry havoc! And let slip the dogs of war…" Zheng De Zhao muttered to himself as he timed their approach. _Now._

He fired the arrow, letting it travel in an arc and down to the ground, on the spot where he had scattered the wine. The ground burst into flames, seconds before the horses reached the flames. The horses suddenly reared back in panic, unwilling to dash through the flames.

Zheng took out normal arrows from the quiver, and he was shooting them off quickly at the enemy cavalrymen while they were momentarily stuck and trying to get their mounts under control. He took out ten of their number before the wine was burnt away and they moved forward again.

Dropping his bow, De Zhao took out his sword. His left hand remained empty. He stood in the middle of the road, a silent, menacing presence. The cavalrymen, caught up in the chase, were too far gone to notice that they were going to be dead. _Five cavalrymen? No problem._

"Die!" One horseman yelled as he charged Zheng with his spear, but De Zhao swung up his sword right in the face of the horse. The horse automatically twisted its head away, and the movement was enough to distract the rider that Zheng was able to grab the spear around the tip and the middle of the shaft with his left arm, unbalancing the cavalryman and toppling him from his mount as he pulled hard on the weapon.

One quick stroke from his sword ended the man's life.

The four remaining cavalrymen charged him, and Zheng stabbed forward with the spear while leaping into the air and slashing with his sword. Two more cavalrymen fell from their horses, dead from fatal wounds. The last two riders circled around him, with him in the middle, trying to split his attention, but Zheng charged one side with his sword. As the other cavalryman attacked his back, he suddenly reversed his grip on the spear, pointing its tip behind him and letting the horseman ride straight into its tip, impaling him right through.

"Get him!" An officer yelled at his unit of infantry, but Zheng smiled. He remembered what Talon Zahn had said of him.

_Talon Zahn shifted forward in his seat, staring intently at Zheng, "Above all, this is the best for you. All creatures cannot abandon their natures, and yours is to kill. You're never meant for piloting a desk. This mission will offer you what you need most, what you have been missing."_

_Talon said the next words softly, but somehow enhancing the emphasis on them, "The thrill of battle."_

_He was right. _Zheng rampaged through the ranks of the footmen, his weapons a blur of steel as he cut through Dong Zhuo's soldiers. After they had lost more than half their number, the rest broke, running away in fear. So did the cavalrymen. _I am a killer. It's my nature. I can no more ignore it than a tiger could avoid eating meat._

Grinning at the success of his plan, Zheng dropped the spear and quickly mounted an available horse, then grabbed the reins of two of the freshest looking horses. He started the small group of horses moving quickly down the road. Another troop of soldiers were on the way.

He caught up with the tiring horse, and shouted to Yue Ying and Sun Shang Xiang. "Extra horses, courtesy of Dong Zhuo! Come on, get on them!"

They stared at him, soaked with blood from the men he had killed in close combat and looking a real mess. Sun Shang Xiang and Yue Ying quickly got onto the new horses.

"You defeated the entire troop?" Sun Shang Xiang asked incredulously as they raced down the road to Jiang Xia.

"Oh no, not all of them. Just enough to break their morale for a while." He grinned. "Now, I want you two to leap off your horses to the right. The bush will cushion your fall. We're going into the forest."

"What? Has the sun addled your brain, lecher?" Sun Shang Xiang shook her head, "It's too difficult to find our direction in there. We could get lost easily!"

"I know the way," Zheng said. _Or at least I hope I do_. "And if it's difficult, the same goes for those chasing us. The horses will continue running down the road. This will throw them off our tracks. We can cross the river anywhere near Jiang Xia when we come out."

Yue Ying agreed, "It's a good plan. Nobody will expect us to go into the forest, and it's dangerous for them to chase us in there."

"Sorry, Lady Sun, you just got outvoted. Okay, get ready. On three!" Zheng counted out loud, then shouted, "Jump!"

They jumped off the horses into the bushes. Ignoring the minor scratches from the plants, Zheng was the first to get up, walking over to Lady Sun and pulling her to her feet as Yue Ying got up as well.

The three of them ran into the deep forest.

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_Jiang Xia_

Sun Ce took another look at the map of the region, trying to get his mind working. For the umpteenth time that day, he wondered where Da Qiao was. _Where are you, my wife? Are you hurt? Injured? Hungry? If anything happens to you, I will tear apart Dong Zhuo with my bare hands!_

Zhang Zhao had received several messenger pigeons from his spies three days ago, informing him of the successful breakout from the Luoyang dungeons. He had informed Sun Ce, who immediately mobilized the armies of Wu to Jiang Xia, where they would be in a position to assist his wife in her escape.

But then there came news of a massive enemy force on the march to Jiang Ling, which sent all his generals into a frenzy of preparation.

Sun Ce was stuck. If he was to oppose the enemy when the inevitable occurred and they attacked across the Chang Jiang, it was imperative that he march his armies to Chang Ling and make ready for battle.

But there was the matter of Da Qiao, his beloved wife…

"My lord, Lord Zhou Yu wishes to see you," an aide informed him.

"Send him in." Sun Ce stood to receive his sworn brother, closest friend, and advisor.

"Any news of the Qiao sisters?" Sun Ce asked anxiously, only for Zhou Yu to shake his head. Zhou Yu was clearly worried as well, his smooth face uncharacteristically lined with wrinkles from staring at too many maps and reports from the past few days.

Zhou Yu swallowed hard, "Sun Ce, I think we have no choice but to leave Jiang Xia for Chang Ling. Lu Bu is leading the attack across the Chang Jiang, and we will need every last warrior there if we are to stand a chance."

"And you would abandon Xiao Qiao and Da Qiao in their time of need?" Sun Ce asked slowly.

Zhou Yu's face was deathly pale as he spoke, "The survival of the Kingdom of Wu depends on our holding our side of Chang Jiang. Lose it, and we'll be overrun in less than a year."

The advisor closed his eyes in pain, "If anything happens to Xiao Qiao, I will grieve forever. But what is my grief compared to the grief of the common folk under Dong Zhuo's tyranny if he rules over all?"

Sun Ce nodded slowly in agreement. "I know, my friend, I know. I feel the same way, am torn just like you. I wish to stay here and wait for my sister and my wife, but I know my responsibilities."

The man the people named "The Little Conqueror" said, "We will wait another three days. If we receive no word, then I shall leave a detachment here, while we march to Chang Ling. Three days, my friend. It should not make such a difference."

Zhou Yu nodded. "Three days then. Let us hope for the best."

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Well, that's it for this chapter. I'd have to state flat out that the character of Zheng De Zhao is partly based by Xiang Shao Long from "A Step into the Past". I'll mix and match features from the games, the actual history, and the novelized version. So ages, abilities and looks would be an amalgamation of collated data. For example, Wei Yan would be the same gnarled warrior from the games, but he loses his stutter and speaks like a normal man. Characters still have their 'musou' attacks, although in this case I'll call them '_nei qi'(_inner energy) attacks that require more energy than usual to set up and use., inflicting greater damage in a shorter amount of time.

The story timeline also differs significantly from the actual timeline, simply because Ruan Shi's meddling in 190 AD messed things up, and Dong Zhuo never had to abandon Luo Yang. For example, Chi Bi happened earlier in 203 AD, not 208 AD. Sun Ce didn't die. Yuan Shao met his end at Ruan Shi's blade early on in 192 AD, and the three(four, including Dong Zhuo's) kingdoms formed earlier than in actual accounts, because their competitors(Liu Biao, Yuan Shao etc) were wiped out fairly quickly. Again, Ruan Shi was behind many of the changes.

**Bahamaboy**-Glad you liked it! Now, if others would do the same and give me reviews…


	4. Growing Feelings

_The first objective of waging war is to destroy your enemy's ability to do wage war. This could be accomplished by several means. In modern times, the reliance on ammunition and fuel means that depriving an enemy of the same would mean victory with less bloodshed. Hence, commando and strike units to hit supply depots became extremely common._

_In ancient times, it's not so easy. Entropy based warfare theory predicts that the only non-lethal factors that might cause an army to _not_ fight was food and morale. As long as an army has both food and morale in sufficient amounts, it'll be capable of sustained combat._

_The only way to defeat such an army straight up? It's the same old tired answer, in the realm of lethality._

_Kill them all._

-Caradoc 'Doc' Trevena

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Zheng De Zhao led the two women deeper into the forest, urging the stumbling women on with words of encouragement and a helping hand, which Sun Shang Xiang slapped away most of the time.

He could tell they were exhausted, but he dared no stop, not yet. He wanted them to move deeper into the forest before halting and setting up camp. The further they were from the forest edges, the less likely a pursuing unit, even if it had figured out that they had gone into the forest, would be able to find them.

But the women were obviously tiring fast from their ordeal, and Zheng knew they had to stop soon.

He gradually slowed to a walk, looking around carefully for some shelter. Some cave they might use.

"We should stop for rest now. Over there." He saw a hole. "Should be safe enough."

Yue Ying, or at least the lady who called herself Yue Ying, he reminded himself, unsure if they were telling him the truth, nodded, almost ready to drop dead. The other women, Sun Shang Xiang, glared at him, though he was uncertain how she could do that while exhaustion leaked out from her posture.

"And how would we rest with you, lecher, standing around us?" Shang Xiang accused.

"Hey," he shot back, "I have a name, and it's not lecher!"

"I don't care! You're staying away from us while we rest, and that's it!"

He threw up his hands in frustration. "Fine! Anything you say! Just get to that cave first!"

They trudged into the cave, looking around it suspiciously for any animal that might be using it.

Yue Ying then took over. She said, "De Zhao, we need firewood for a fire. Even if we have no food, at least we can keep warm."

"No problem," he answered. At least Yue Ying was more reasonable. Maybe she was having second thoughts over clubbing him in the head earlier on. He walked out of the cave. "I can even see if there's any game to be had. This quiver still has some arrows, and I have my bow. Time to get dinner."

An hour later, he was slowly roasting a wild duck on a spit over the fire while humming a nonsensical tune. The two women watched on beside the fire, an eye on the duck and an eye on him. He could tell they were hungry from their travels, and the enticing aroma of food wasn't helping.

"So," he asked, turning the duck over and over slowly to prevent any one side from being overcooked, "Mind telling me why Dong Zhuo is chasing you?"

"Why should we tell you anything at all, lecher?" Zheng rolled his eyes. Sun Shang Xiang seemed to have a grudge against him. Hell, he only cast a few leers at her back at the camp, and she already regarded him as a mortal enemy.

Yue Ying answered his question. "It isn't Dong Zhuo, I think, though he would certainly want us back in his dungeons at Luo Yang. No, the troops chasing us want to kill us, and they were sent by Ruan Shi."

She added, "When Han Rao had captured us, he was crowing about how they would display our bodies to the armies of Wu, so that their troops would be frightened and unwilling to fight, forcing them to defect, or at the very least, desert."

"Clever," said Zheng, "But instead of being demoralized, the armies of Wu might be even more determined to defeat Dong Zhuo. But it doesn't matter now, because I intend to see you safely to Jiang Xia."

"And why would you do that, idiot?" Sun Shang Xiang demanded.

"Shang Xiang! Stop being so rude!" Yue Ying chastised her friend, though Zheng could see that she was wondering the same thing.

He decided to play his cards close to his chest. "I wish to be a warrior for Wu. Sun Ce is a worthy ruler I can pledge my allegiance to. Dong Zhuo is just a fat bastard who bribed his way into being Emperor. The people will only suffer under him."

He looked at Yue Ying. "Besides, by saving the two of you, I could get into Sun Ce's good graces much more easily. Especially by saving Lady Sun. That was a bonus I did not expect."

"I wish you would die and go to hell, lecher." Shang Xiang threw a rock at him, which he caught in one hand without looking at her. That raised the eyebrows of both women.

"Dinner is ready!" Zheng said cheerfully, lifting up the spit with the duck. He held it out to Yue Ying first. "Take a leg. Be careful, it's hot."

Yue Ying smiled at him gratefully, and tore off a leg. Zheng then took one look at the sulking Sun Ren, and grinned to himself.

"Okay now, I have the rest to enjoy for myself!" He declared. "Wow, such a big duck! How to finish on my own?"

"What about me?" Shang Xiang leapt to her feet, furious at him.

"Oh, you?" Zheng frowned theatrically. "Oh my, it seems as though somebody is upset…"

Shang Xiang stalked over to him angrily, reaching out for the duck, which he pulled away, "Of course I'm upset, you damn lecher! I'm hungry too!"

He smirked at her. "Fine. I'll let you have the food. On one condition."

"Name it."

"Ask for it and call me by my real name once," said Zheng, then he added, "Nicely."

Lady Sun seemed to bristle at his demand, but she opened her mouth, and grudgingly spoke, "Zheng De Zhao, can I have some food?"

"Of course!" De Zhao then swung the duck up to her nose, and Shang Xiang plucked out the other leg. Then she uttered softly, "Stupid lecher."

Zheng's grin grew even larger. _Looks like the next few days are going to be fun, fun, fun._

After their dinner, Zheng said, "You ladies need to rest now, since we're moving off early tomorrow morning. I'll take watch for the night."

"You're not sleeping?" asked Yue Ying.

He shook his head, "I can't sleep. The drugs I used on Han Rao and his men was supposed to help me sleep. Now without them, I'll just stay awake, no matter how tired I am."

He waved her away, "Go to sleep. I'll take watch."

"Don't touch us, lecher," Shang Xiang warned him as she huddled down in a corner.

"An ugly hag like you? I don't think so!" Zheng laughed as he ran out of the cave in time to dodge another rock thrown his way.

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They awoke early the next day, as Zheng had planned, and quickly made their way after a light breakfast comprising the meager remains of the duck they had for dinner.

Yue Ying noticed that Zheng ate very little, saving most of the food for her and Shang Xiang. She wondered if Shang Xiang had noticed his act of kindness, and reminded herself to have a good talk with the girl. Her insults towards Zheng were wholly undeserved, and Yue Ying knew that while part of it was due to her frustration at being away from her family, another was that Shang Xiang did not like being indebted to any man, especially one who seemed to be of no rank and title like Zheng.

Zheng himself was a mystery, frightfully competent and secretive. Yue Ying knew he told them only what he wanted them to know, while keeping the rest hidden away from them. She herself was left questioning if they should have told him who they were at the very start. Maybe false names…

Yue Ying frowned. If that had happened, he might not be helping them get to Jiang Xia. And she knew that without his help, they would have been caught again by Dong Zhuo's men.

They made steady progress through the thick forest, Zheng leading the way confidently, and in what Yue Ying hoped was the correct direction.

By noon, Zheng assured them they were making good time, and that just less than two more days of travel would bring them to Chang Jiang and beyond to Wu.

When it was almost evening, something happened which made Yue Ying very curious about their benefactor.

Zheng was already on the lookout for dinner when they came across a tiger tearing out chunks of meat from a dead wild boar. Normally they would have just sneaked past quietly, but this time Zheng actually went up to the dead carcass of the boar.

"What are you doing?" Shang Xiang whispered harshly.

"Watch." His reply was cool, calm.

The tiger stared at him warily as he stood before it near the body of the dead boar. Then the two stared at each other for long moments.

Then incredibly, the tiger bowed his head, and moved to one side, all the while chewing on the meat in its mouth.

Zheng nodded in return, then leaned down with a knife, cutting away a chunk of the boar's meat. Then he stepped back, nodded again to the tiger, and walked back to them. "Our dinner for tonight."

Yue Ying had never seen anything like that before, and her respect for Zheng went up another notch.

Dinner was largely uneventful, except that Sun Shang Xiang decided that she wanted to avoid doing anything for the man she insisted on calling a lecher. She took up a piece of wood that was on fire, and threatened to burn off his beard if he didn't give her dinner.

Yue Ying enjoyed the fun when Zheng had ended up running away from a furious Shang Xiang. In the end, he had given in, but part of his beard had been burned off. He had stalked out of the cave muttering to himself as they got ready to sleep.

When they awoke, both women were stunned.

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Sun Shang Xiang had just wanted to avoid paying that damn lecher any compliments when she had thought to use fire to threaten him, but she never expected him to walk into the cave in the morning looking like _that_.

His beard and moustache were gone, but it was a decided improvement since they had looked so silly on him. Now clean shaven, his strong jaw and rugged face revealed his handsome features.

Shang Xiang half wondered if he had used his looks to lure young girls into trouble, then decided that a pervert like him would certainly have done so. She would only need to wait for him to slip up, and then she'll set the dogs on him, literally. She grinned inwardly at her plan, which she'll carry out once they'd returned to Wu. Yes, that lecher would get what he deserved!

"What?" He frowned at them when neither of them moved for long moments, "Is anything wrong?"

Yue Ying responded first, "Your… beard is gone."

He scoffed, "After what Lady Sun here did to it, did I have a choice?" He shook his head in resignation. "Come on! Let's go already!"

Because of the rest they had, Sun Shang Xiang and Yue Ying felt much better after their nonstop escape from Luo Yang, and had regained much of their strength and vigor. Shang Xiang herself was confident that she and Yue Ying could now outfight any patrols they came across, without the aid of the lecher.

Only problem was, neither of them knew the way out of the forest, so they had no choice but to stick with the lecher.

Shang Xiang noticed Yue Ying picking out some plants and herbs as they walked, and asked, "What're you doing?"

Yue Ying glanced once at the lecher, who was about twenty paces in front of them, "De Zhao there hasn't slept for two nights running. Tomorrow is important, and we might need to fight our way past any of Dong's patrols. We'll need him to be well rested. Look at him, he looks tired." At that moment, the lecher stumbled over a root, and caught himself in time to avoid falling down. His movements were a tad slower than on the first day. "See?"

Shang Xiang didn't like the concern for the stupid lecher she heard in Yue Ying's voice, but she listened anyway as Yue Ying continued talking.

"These herbs should help him sleep. Tonight, the two of us will share the watch."

"What?" Shang Xiang was aghast. "For that lecher? Yue Ying, why are you doing this?"

Yue Ying sighed, "Shang Xiang, why are you so angry towards Zheng De Zhao? He's been nothing but a true gentleman to us, and you would treat him like he was Dong Zhuo!"

Shang Xiang stared at her friend, then replied, "You're doing all this because you like him, don't you?"

Yue Ying did not reply, but the slight blush on her cheeks told Shang Xiang all she needed to know. "I can't believe this!"

"Hey, you are lagging behind!" It was the lecher again, shouting at them to hurry up. Shang Xiang shook her head as she followed Yue Ying in quickening their pace.

Dinner for that day were two birds Zheng had shot down. They weren't very tasty, but Shang Xiang could care less. Yue Ying, meanwhile, had managed to brew a foul smelling herbal concoction for Zheng. Shang Xiang tried to deny it, but she did feel a bit worried when she saw how exhausted the stupid lecher was. _Maybe he should take a rest._

"Okay, as usual," Zheng was saying, "The two of you get to sleep. And don't worry, Lady Sun, you're too ugly to touch." He winked tiredly.

"I wish you'll shut up and die, lecher." Shang Xiang snapped back.

Yue Ying went up to him with the bag of herbal tea. "Zheng De Zhao, Shang Xiang and I will take watch tonight. Drink this. It'll help you to sleep."

He looked at Yue Ying skeptically, "Sure?" He sniffed the drink once, and winced.

"Drink it up," Yue Ying insisted, and Shang Xiang laughed at the sight of the grown man trying to shrink away from the drink. In the end, he had finished the whole thing, but only after holding his nose to block out the smell.

Almost immediately, he was flat on the floor, snoring softly. Yue Ying shook her head, then gestured for Shang Xiang to help her pull him over to a corner.

"I'll take first watch." Shang Xiang offered.

"Thank you." Yue Ying nodded off.

Shang Xiang spent her time staring at the stars, until it was time to wake Yue Ying up. Then as the two women prepared to switch places, Zheng started mumbling to himself, his arms moving in front of him, obviously having a dream, or perhaps a nightmare.

"Please, Yu Lin, don't die. I want to marry you. Why was I so stupid? Why did I wait so long? Please come back to me. Don't die." His voice was different from his normal confident, cocky manner. It was full of pain and anguish, and Shang Xiang felt pangs of sympathy in her own heart. _Maybe, just maybe, he isn't so bad after all…_

The two women stared at each other, and Shang Xiang realized that Yue Ying was sobbing softly.

"I miss Kong Ming." Yue Ying admitted. "The calm tone of his voice, the way he would hold me. Why did he have to die?"

Shang Xiang did not know how to reply, but she held Yue Ying's hands as the other woman cried, trying to comfort her friend.

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They moved off early the next day, all of them with their hands on their weapons and ready for battle.

Zheng was back to his old self, moving swiftly through the woods and leading the way. This time though, they did not stay close behind him, but rather moving ahead only after he had signaled for them. The dense wood was slowly giving way to scattered trees, and there were even a few well trodden footpaths on the ground.

They soon came to the banks of Chang Jiang, drawn by the roar of the mighty river as it surged towards the faraway sea.

"There're no bridges nearby," Zheng said while studying the map, "but there's a small pier. We get to the pier and get a boat to get us across."

"It's not so simple, is it?" Yue Ying asked, and Zheng nodded. _This lady's sharp._

"They'll likely have soldiers at the pier, so we might have to fight our way through in any case. Either that, or we get disguises. At this point in time, I don't think that'll work, so that leaves the first option."

"Can we cross the river elsewhere?" Shang Xiang asked.

Zheng shook his head, "Not a good idea. The further we go, the more likely a patrol will stumble across us. Right now, our best defense rests on the fact that they do not know where we are. The moment our tracks are found, you can be sure they'll be on us very, very quickly."

There was suddenly a shout in the distance, and all three of them turned to see a group of soldiers desperately fighting a rearguard action against the brown armored soldiers of Dong Zhuo.

"Those are Wu soldiers!" Sun Shang Xiang yelled as she started running towards them, drawing her sword from her scabbard.

"Then again, all that planning doesn't matter now." Zheng muttered under his breath as he followed her, taking his bow out and quickly notching an arrow on the string. Yue Ying had already moved ahead with her sword. The two women had told him of how their weapons had been taken away by Han Rao's troops, which was why they had been reduced to using swords.

Zheng didn't have any problem with swords. He knew how to use many other weapons, but there was a good reason why the sword and its many variations were so popular throughout the world over and in many cultures. The shape and manner of the weapon offered an excellent blend of attack and defense that no other weapon could match.

As they ran closer to the battle, Zheng could see a distinguished man in robes directing the battle, along with two other women, plus about 40 soldiers in red armor.

"Sun Quan!" Sun Shang Xiang exclaimed, which drew the attention of the Dong soldiers. Zheng fired off his arrows, which all missed as the Dong soldiers either stepped away from his arrows or used their swords and shields to block.

"Diao Chan! Zhen Ji!" Yue Ying identified the other two women, who were also fighting desperately against the enemy force, which seemed to be about two hundred men.

"Shang Xiang!" The man in robes said, then he winced as an enemy arrow hit him. Two of his bodyguards surrounded him, their sword flashing as they sought to protect their commander. It was clear that Sun Quan was already badly wounded, with his robes torn and with blood seeping through many places.

"Ah… Hell!" Zheng bellowed as he put on an extra burst of speed, running ahead of Shang Xiang and Yue Ying. He drew out his sword, then rushed into the midst of the Dong soldiers.

Several soldiers surrounded him immediately, stabbing their spears at him, but Zheng ducked and spun around in a circle, his blade slashing through all the men and making them fall back desperately. He moved into a stance for the '_Zhuan_' technique, twirling around rapidly, his sword cutting into anybody foolish enough to step within the radius of his spin.

Several more Dong soldiers fell under his furious assault, and then Yue Ying and Shang Xiang were in their midst as well, stabbing and slashing with their swords. Zheng stepped forward, engaging the soldiers as the Wu soldiers took advantage of their arrival to counterattack.

The area was almost clear of Dong soldiers when a small unit of archers suddenly appeared behind a ridge. Zheng was by now roving behind the front lines of the skirmish, keeping an eye out for changes in the situation when he saw them.

"Archers to the front! Watch out!" He shouted to get their attention, but he realized that Shang Xiang was still in the thick of the battle, too engrossed to pay attention to his words.

Then the archers fired, the black stubby arrows arcing down towards the daughter of Sun Jian.

_Shit! They're firing on their own men! _Zheng was already dashing forward, his sword raised. He reached Shang Xiang in time, pulling the surprised woman down to the ground in time behind a Dong soldier who was hit by several arrows. Then he grunted as an arrow hit his left shoulder, the force of the projectile punching all the way through his shoulder.

"Stupid lecher! What are you doing?" Shang Xiang yelled at him angrily as she pushed herself away from him. Yue Ying, meanwhile, had chased the archers away, leaving the field in the hands of Wu for the time being.

"Well, sorry for saving your life." Zheng murmured.

Then she turned around to see the robed man, and she shrieked in delight. "Brother!"

"Shang Xiang!" The robed man's face lit up in a bright smile as well, despite his injuries. The two siblings hugged each other tightly, while the others looked on with approval.

Yue Ying came up beside Zheng, "You're wounded!"

Zheng grimaced, "Not a big deal. Snap the shaft, then pull the arrow all the way through." He winced once as Yue Ying did as he instructed. "Just bind the wound tightly. Stitches will have to wait." _The wound isn't too bad, but the blood loss is a problem. Never mind, I just have to keep going first._

Yue Ying tore off some cloth from a dead soldier, wrapping the cloth round the open wound. She talked to the other two women as she worked. They were also helping out the wounded Wu soldiers, and the remainder were anxiously looking at the ridge, waiting for more enemies to appear.

"Diao Chan, Zhen Ji, have you seen any of the others?" Yue Ying asked.

The elegant woman in beautiful blue robes nodded. "I saw the Qiaos heading west, but there were patrols between us, so we could not link up. Diao Chan and I were forced here when we ran into Sun Quan's unit."

Sun Quan spoke now, his voice tinged with pain, "Zhu Rong has reached our side of Chang Jiang. She told us what had happened, and I decided to send patrols out to this side of the river to help you. We have rafts not far from here."

Shang Xiang stared at him with worry, "Then what about Sun Ce? Why isn't he here with more men and warriors?"

Sun Quan shook his head, "Dong Zhuo is massing a huge force at Jiang Ling. Sun Ce and Zhou Yu are heading for Chang Ling to prepare the defenses. They had already waited three days for you, and had just left this morning. I volunteered to stay behind." He smiled weakly, "It was the right decision."

"Well, the Qiao sisters are still out there, somewhere to the west." Diao Chan said nervously. "What do we do now?"

Zheng spoke up, his voice firm, "Shang Xiang, Yue Ying, take Lord Sun Quan back to Jiang Xia. Lady Diao Chan, Lady Zhen Ji, go with them." He picked out the bodyguards and three more men. "You, you, and you! Escort Lord Sun and the ladies on the rafts back to Jiang Xia and wait for further news." He turned to speak to the other soldiers. "The rest of you, follow me."

"What?" Sun Quan was stunned as he tried to reassert his authority, "I'm in charge. Who are you to give orders?"

De Zhao spun around to face him, "My Lord, you are wounded badly, and your survival is of utmost importance to the Kingdom of Wu. If you come along with us to look for the Qiaos, you'll only hinder us."

"But you're wounded yourself!" Shang Xiang pointed out. "Stupid lecher, it's too risky!"

"Don't worry." His reply was grim, yet full of confidence. "I've fought with worse wounds than this before. It's no problem." He started walking off towards the west, with the soldiers following him in a daze at the rapid shift in events, "Besides, don't you want me dead, Lady Sun?" He smiled, "Maybe you'll get your wish after all."

"But I was only joking…" Shang Xiang whispered, too softly for anyone to hear.

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It was almost nighttime in Jiang Xia, and they were getting worried. Most of the patrols had returned with severe casualties, and neither of the Qiao sisters had been found yet. And Zheng De Zhao and his detachment had yet to return.

"Let me take some men and go across the river, brother!" Shang Xiang pleaded for the umpteenth time, only for Sun Quan to refuse again. They were in the command mansion of Jiang Xia, in the audience hall, with food arrayed before them for dinner. Yue Ying, Diao Chan, Zhen Ji, and Zhu Rong watched the Sun siblings argue, none of them feeling the mood to eat while the Qiao sisters were still in danger.

"Shang Xiang, you have only just returned to Wu from the clutches of that fat bastard Dong Zhuo, and you would leave for such danger? No, I cannot forgive myself if you are lost again."

Then he turned towards the other women, "And the same goes for all of you. And since I'm too wounded to lead the battle, it's all in the hands of the brave soldiers of Wu."

Just then, a soldier ran into the hall, "My lord, the Qiao sisters are back!"

Everybody in the hall rushed out into the courtyard at once to see the two Qiao sisters being escorted in by a group of battered and weary soldiers. Yue Ying recognized them as belonging to the unit Zheng had commandeered.

"Shang Xiang! Sun Quan!" Da Qiao exclaimed with joy as she hugged her friends and brother-in-law fiercely. Xiao Qiao's greeting was no less enthusiastic, and she even broke down in tears at their successful escape. The tears seemed infectious, and soon many of the noble women were in tears, finally glad that their long ordeal was over.

"Where's the officer of the troop?" Sun Qua asked.

"Right here, my lord." Zheng De Zhao answered, walking in from the darkness tiredly, his steps heavy and slow.

"Good work, warrior, good work!" congratulated Sun Quan.

"Thanks." Zheng answered softly, and Yue Ying felt a pang of panic at the listless way he replied. She ran over to him just as he suddenly collapsed to his knees, panting hard. Then she saw the makeshift bandage she had placed on his shoulder wound. It was soaked red with blood. She looked behind him, and her blood chilled as the sight of trail of blood marking his path.

"Zheng De Zhao!" Yue Ying screamed as his eyes rolled up and he fell face first onto the floor.

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Shokyo: Realistic strategy? Other than an excess of miniatures wargaming, and several books worth of military history by Keegan and Hanson, I have no idea what you're talking about. :D

Anybody would like to suggest romantic pairings? I seem to have noticed that shippers comprise a sizable fraction of fics here.

Available ladies: Zhu Rong, Zhen Ji

Available generals: Dian Wei, Jia Kui, Xiahou Yuan, Yue Jin, Jian Yong, Zhao Yun, Ma Chao, Gan Ning, Jiang Qin, Zhou Tai

Frankly speaking, I'm thinking of a Zhu Rong/Zhao Yun matchup. Should be interesting! After all, Fire and Dragons go together! :D


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